


Second chances are not easy, love.

by MilaBRM



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Agent turner x Rio joining forces, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Beth won't take any of Dean's shit, Dean is still an idiotic bastard, F/M, Rio as a bodyguard, RubyxBethxAnnie friendship, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-06-19 04:46:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15502611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilaBRM/pseuds/MilaBRM
Summary: Once upon a time, Beth Boland was happily married.Once upon a time, Beth Boland thought she WAS happy and loved.But she wasn't. She hadn't control of her life like she thought once.But, thank God, her cheating husband showed her how wrong she was.She got another chance.A new beginning.But our old choices sometimes haunt us.They come back to make us see that we're never in control of anything, really.Now her life was in danger. Thanks to the choices she made in the past.One, actually: Dean Boland.Whatever fate had planned for her, she just hoped it wouldn't kill her before she gets another shot at happiness.





	1. Tightrope

_"All this time_

_You're just tryin' not to lose it_

_You can always learn to fly_

_Y_ _ou never do until you do it"_

 

* * *

 

 

Twenty years of marriage.

A nice, comfortable home in Detroit’s best neighborhood.

A good husband who became a successful businessman.

Dean made selling cars look like child’s easiest play.

Four beautiful, healthy children.

 

Then, everything went to hell. Well, not everything, she still had her children.

The only thing good that she had after she found out that Dean was a cheating bastard and later, a goddamn liar.

 

What kind of human being would lie about having cancer? Like, Really?! She really didn’t have any idea when the man she once loved had become the worst kind of man in her eyes.

A liar, cheater, idiotic man. God help her,she should have listened to Annie.

 

She never thought that the day when she’d ever consider  listen to Annie would come.What people usually said? Never say never? Anyway, here she was.

 

So, she did what any woman with blood in their veins would do: got all of his things into her car, drove all the way to his workplace, threw everything off right in the front door and got back home to call her lawyer. She'd given him a chance once and she wouldn’t make a fool of herself again.

 

They were over.

 

It felt like tasting freedom for the very first time. It was exhilarating, but it was also scary as hell. The last time Beth had ever worked,  she was pretty sure it was back on her high school days. She felt like an insecure little girl she was once, growing up into a young beautiful woman who got the attention of the school’s most handsome boy.

 

However, with her sister’s help and their best friend Ruby she changed her life and in addition, theirs.

 

She was trying to think of something to do with the money she got after the divorce and then on a friday night, her movie night with the girls, between drinks and thirsting after hugh Dancy in Confessions of a Shopaholic, they had an idea for what Beth could do with her money.

 

After that , they started a business of their own : “Secret Shopping.com”. They offered their service online   mostly to Department Stores but had other small businesses as clients as well. They employees were all single or divorced women with children who provided to their families alone and needed a job where they could make their own schedule.

 

The fact that She and her friends were helping those women to  get a new beginning and a chance to be on their own two feet after relying on untrustworthy partners was really gratifying after her own experience with Dean.

 

After two years, Beth really thought she had the peaceful and good life she deserved. She was doing something good, earning her own money, looking out for her children. Not alone but with her two  great, supportive girls.

 

Oh, how wrong she was.

 

_Silly, you’re were really silly , Beth._

 

Now here she was, looking at the eyes of the man was was still a great, attentive father, but would never be a good, faithful husband.

 

“Can you, please repeat  what you’ve just said? I think I heard it all wrong. Tell me this is all a huge mistake”

 

Her ex-husband just stood there, hands in his gray, ruffed suit’s pockets. His blue midnight tie loose around his neck, his eyes huge on his pale, apprehensive face. Dean looked like he could faint or run as fast as he could without looking back. Beth felt like she could really hurt him, mark his idiotic face with her blood red painted nails.

 

This couldn’t be happening. It was a joke. A horrible one. But some kind of sixth sense was telling her it was all true. The  tight security she noticed around and inside the small building “Boland’s Motors” was located made her think that something had happened, a robbery or something, maybe that was the reason Dean called her? He couldn’t stay with the kids that night because of it?

 

But then he opened his office’s door and rushed her inside, asking all those weird questions.

 

“ _What did  you do this weekend?  Did you go out with the girls? Did you see someone strange looking at you funny? Did you notice if someone followed you? Did you notice something odd in your neighborhood before you went to work today or any of these days, Beth?_ ”

 

“DEAN!” - she couldn’t help but scream. She was at her breaking point and couldn’t stand it anymore. “JUST TELL ME!”

 

Tremors she couldn’t control made everything even worse, it was like her body was reacting the anger and disbelief growing fats inside her heart.

 

His voice when he spoke was low and weak, but still could be heard clearly.

 

“ I’m so sorry, Beth. I really am but I’m not joking. God, I know I was a bastard to you but I’m not that sick, you know? I know this isn’t fair to you but I made mistakes and I know you’ll tell me I should have known better but things in this business are not always easy. Boland Motors belong to our children and I work everyday to build an empire for them.I did for them, Beth”

This made her laugh. A little, low , broken thing and left her full lips. She shook her head, hands trembling while getting her long hair out of her sweaty cold face. A bitter taste on her mouth.

 

“Oh, yeah this always about you trying to be the father of the year for our children while turning my life into some kind of hell in the process. Congratulations Dean. You ARE the sick bastard you think you aren’t.”

 

Dean walked around his desk,towards her, but Beth took a few steps back, hands in front of her body. He stopped, licked his lips.

 

“Don’t say that. Please, Bethy. I still care about you, we've been good friends in these past last two years, haven't we?”

 

The laugh she let escape from her lips were now louder,uncontrollable.

 

“Yeah, yes we were. Now look at where your _friendship_ took me.”- the fire in her eyes were burning his. Uncontrollable. Unforgiving.

 

Now Dean was the one shaking.

 

_Good._

 

“Tell me, Dean, will you tell our kids that you put their mommy’s life in danger? Because I’m pretty sure they won’t like to know that they have a lunatic out there wanting to hurt her.”

 

\----

  
  
  
  


 


	2. Drowning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna say sorry in advance for Boomer's words (they're awful, gross words)  
> This chapter is all about Dean and Stan but it's important to the plot and I found their relationship interesting, even if we just saw them together for a few minutes and in one scene only , but I wanted to explore that a little bit more here.  
> Thank you for the kudos ;)
> 
>  
> 
> Have fun!

 

 _I feel like I'm drowning_  
_I'm drowning_  
_You're holding me down and_  
_Holding me down_  
_You're killing me slow_  
_So slow, oh-no_  
_I feel like I'm drowning_  
_I'm drowning_

 

* * *

 

_The week before_

_\----_

 

_Boland’s Motors_

 

“- Mr. Boland. It’s that person again, from XP Investiments?”

 

“- Oh, thank you, Peterson. Can you deal with things out there? This is gonna take time, I guess.”

 

“- No problem, Sir.”

 

The heavy Glass door closed. Dean took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. He knew he was in big trouble but  things were getting better. If he was honest with himself, he was not proud of the choices he’d made, but , hell, he didn’t have much time to decide  then. His business got bigger than he could ever imagine and with ten  other  Boland’s Motors  around the state to manage, he should have spent more time thinking about who he'd  hired to work for him and how he could  get his bad habits under control.

 

 Or maybe he shouldn’t have take money from  his business for his own personal use.

 

Then, three months ago  he’d found out that two of his managers were stealing his money right under his stupid nose. The two idiots had  tampered  with financial and management reports for an entire year. And all because the accountant he’d hired the year before, had alerted him about his own bad habit of taking money who shouldn’t be taken just só  he could give his children  and closed friends tickets do Disneyland. Then he had come to Dean last month to tell him that more money was missing.

 

Seriously, those last months had been hell. He had fired the men and talked to Stan, Ruby’s husband, because as a police officer he’d know how Dean should deal with this situation. He had asked for Stan’s discretion on the matter because he really didn’t wanna Beth to know about one more of his  horrible mistakes.

 

However, things were worse than he’d thought, according to his accountant, mr. Lee, a small, short´tempered man in his fifties. He tried to take a loan from a few banks but they all said no to him. Somehow the bastards knew he was in trouble. He had only one choice: his friend knew another, well, friend who could land him the money he needed, but he’d have to pay for it as soon the guy asked him for it.

 

Well, the thing was that even if he was starting to get things on track, he guy called asking for his money. Money he still didn’t have and twice he had succeed in avoid his calls but a third time was enough.Boomer wasn’t a man you should play with.

 

He took his tie off, trying to just breath and calm down before talking to the man.

 

“Hello, Mr. Boomer. I’s so sorry for not calling you before, I’ve been a bit busy, you see? I hope you’re doing fine.”

 

“ Yeah, I’m not doing fine, actually, Mr. Boland. You didn’t pay me back. I wanna see you and soon, with my money, let’s see… Tomorrow?  I’ll even be a nice guy and let you choose the time and place.”

 

Fuck it. He didn’t have it. Shit , shit, shit.

Think, Boland, think. You need to convince him.

 

“Look, I understand you need your money back, we had a deal and I know I should have paid you two weeks ago but I still don’t have all of it. I need more time.”

 

 He could hear Boomer’s breathing right on the other side of the line. Then he heard a sound like glass shattering.

 

When the man spoke again, he sound calm and controlled but yet ruthless.

 

“ I honestly don’t give a fuck. You want me to have mercy on you? If you were a stupid fucker who couldn’t deal with his own money it’s not my fault. Who do you think I’m? Your personal Jesus? Ha! You’re a rookie in this kind of thing right? Let me tell you something: if you give your word to someone and you tell them you’ll give their money back, you do that, no matter what. If you don’t,  I'll take something else from you.

 

“ Wait. Wait what are you talking about?” -  shit, things were really getting out of hands. Cold sweat started to fall slowly from his forehead.

 

The man’s laugh was an ugly thing to listen to.

 

“ You know, people must pay their debts, my man and I found out about your gorgeous ex-wife. Actually, one of my guys saw her visiting you with four beautiful kids right behind her. Honestly, she was too much for you. Tell me, how was sex with her? I bet she is a lioness in bed, with those big, delicious tits, that small waist and I won’t even talk about that ass. She is like a siren, man. Oh, and those red lips? I’m imagining them around my cock already. Does she suck it good? Is she still tight after popping four kids out?”

 

his stomach felt heavy, his hands were trembling and he felt an urge to get his hands on that man’s neck and squeeze with he felt his heart stop. He wanted to watched that man die slowly while fighting to breathe but he should be careful. The wrong word could mean his death or maybe even Beth’s.

 

“Look. I just said I’d give your money back. Leave my ex-wife out of this. My family doesn’t know about our little secret business alright? I just need one week more. I’l give your fucking damn money. Next Tuesday alright? We can meet at the same place and time as before if you want.”

 

Silence was his only answer for a few minutes. Then he felt like he could breathe again.

 

“One week more. Then, believe me, money won’t be enough.”

 

The call ended.

 

His world was ending, or felt like it was. He just stared at the white wall in front of him for a few minutes. It was time to man up and do something about that lunatic. He still needed more than one week to get the money he got from him back.  You couldn’t sell half a million in cars in one week.

 

He did the one thing he really didn’t wanna do. He got his cellphone out of his suit’s pocket and called the only person who would help him sort this mess out.

 

in just a few seconds the other person answered.

 

“Hey, Dean, what’s up man? Oh, if you’re calling about those two assholes who took your money. You won’t believe me, but  they’re FBI’s problem now. They did the same thing to other people in other thirteen states. Crazy, right? And hey weren’t alone!”

 

Stan’s enthusiasm in any other circumstances would make him laugh and even if those were happy news, after that call all he could think about was his family’s safety and how he’d get out of that trick situation.

 

 

“ That is great, yeah, but is not the reason I’m calling you. Can we meet somewhere? I really need  your help Stan. Again.”

 

“Oh, man. This doesn’t sound good. Your voice is strange. What did you do now, Dean? And you better tell me the truth, man. Coz I’m already in trouble keep things from Ruby to save your white ass.”

 

“Believe me, I know and, really, thank you for helping me but I can’t tell you over the phone. Can you meet me at that Starbucks we met before ? It’s closer to your job."

 

“Uhn. Ok. I see you there in twenty minutes, ok?”

 

And just like that he felt all the tension leave his shoulders.

 

“Yeah. Great. See you there”.

 

* * *

 

 

When he got there, there were just an old couple drinking coffee and talking, on a table close to the door  and a group of teenagers were deciding what they’d eat while a young woman was waiting for them to decide and pay.

 

Stan was already there waiting for him, a small cup of coffee between his hands, on the other side of place, away from people’s ears.

 

He didn’t wait for the man to speak. He felt the words leave his mouth, thanking him for coming, then explaining to him why they were there. He talked about everything. The money’s problem, how he didn’t manage to control the way he wasted his money, how he  sometimes took money from his business and spent it elsewhere, how his accountant  told him that they could close their doors if they didn’t something about it. 

 

 After all that, he told about the worst part of the story, about the fact that he couldn’t take money anywhere else because banks knew that there was a great risk of them not getting their money back. Finally, he told Stan about how a friend of his, who was a doctor ( although by the money the man kept spending he could only work as a doc. Seriously he knew that guy was dealing with some shady shit),  talked about a man who could help him with that .

 

The most difficult thing he had to do was to tell Stan about the call he received from Boomer. Stan just stood there listening to everything, not saying a word, but his eyes betrayed every thought he was having, while he talked.

“I know. I know I was the stupidiest man on earth. I know I made a huge mistake and that I was weak, an idiot with my own money. However, I wanna do things right now, Stan, I do. I promise that I’m gonna do things right after this is all over but I need your advice, your help. I don’t know what to do and the things he talked about Beth...I’m afraid for her.The guy is crazy. I can’t pay him half a million in just one week. No one can.”

 

Stan just shook his head, lips pursed and hands closed tighter aroud the cup of coffee.

 

“ Well, you can’t say that. Maybe some lucky, clever bastard can. For the love of God’s , Dean! How could you do all that to your family? You need to behave like a man not some idiotic teenager who is always saying he is sorry, that he’ll try harder next time. You need to start making better decisions about the future now not latter, otherwise there will be no future. You’re dealing with dangerous people who don’t have nothing to lose here. I swear to God, you need to choose your friends better.  I wanna this doctors’ name today and his number and same for this Boomer guy.”

 

“ I don’t have much information about Boomer. He is the one who is always calling me and my friend was the one who got me a meeting with him.  What I do about the money? About Beth? I was thinking about hiring a bodyguard for her. Do you know someone who could help me with that?”

 

 

“ I know a FBI agent who might help with it. His name is Turner and I’m sure he must know someone. Now, about the money, we’ll need to work fast só write your doc’s friend addresss and phone number down. The kids are on vacation right?”

 

“Yeah. Do you think I should send them away with my mom somewhere eles?”

 

Stan thought about for a minute. His coffee was probably cold but he still looked at it and then drank it.

 

 

“ Nah, not yet, just keep your eyes open. I’ll look into this Boomer guy as soon as your friend give us some info. Do you think he is gonna be a problem?”

 

that was a good question. He didn’t know if Alec would give Stan that guy’s name but he’d make him tell them. Oh, he would.

 

“I don’t know but be assured that I’ll get it out of him.”

 

This made Stan roll his eyes, a small smile on his lips.

 

“You won’t. This is police work now. The only thing you need to worry about is Beth. I’m gonna call Turner tonight. You better talk to Beth, Dean.”

 

“I know. This is what I fear the most. I wanna get her a bodyguard first , though, só she won’t have any other choices but accept it.”

 

Stan just looked at him like he just said he’d strip and dance naked right there.

 

“ARE YOU CRAZY?  If you do that without talking about it with her first, she is gonna lose it, Dean.”

 

He just got up, got his car keys and nodded.

“She is gonna lose it anyway. You think she is gonna be happy knowing about all the shit I did? I’m a dead man walking right now Stan. I need to go, my secretary is calling. Thank you. Really. For everything.”

 

Stan looked at him, right through him, and said something he was sure he wouldn’t forget.

 

“Don’t thank me. Start thinking about your mistakes and what they could take away from you because you weren’t man enough to do right by your family. I’m serious, Dean.”

 

“I know”

 

He left with the weight of these words on his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know its an even shorter chapter than the first one but Life is kicking my ass. I'll try to give you all a longer chapter with Beth and the girls. I'm not sure Rio will be on the next chapter but We'll see how this story goes in my head. However it won't take too long for him to finally meet Beth. ;)  
> anyway, <3 guys!


	3. stormy weather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAND the plot thickens (insert crazy evil laugh here), BUT something good happens by the end of the chapter.  
> Well, I think you're gonna like it, anyway.
> 
> ps: My Beth has long hair in this fic but it's for a reason. She will have her short hair back like in the show in the future, tho.  
> Right now I'm picturing her like one of our Gorgeous Christina Hendricks' pics from Mad men era. 
> 
> ENJOY.

_Don't look ahead, there's stormy weather  
Another roadblock in our way   
But if we go, we go together   
Our hands are tied here if we stay_

\-------

 

 

She was _seething_. 

After listening to every dumbass decision her ex-husband made in those two last months she just felt drained. She tried to sit and listen to Dean talking about how his employees had stolen money right under his stupid nose and how he has been using money he should be investing on his own business to spend with unnecessary things. Beth didn’t know if she could forgive him again.

  
She stopped counting the number of times he said “sorry, I messed up. ”  
  
That was the last straw.  The only think she wanted to do at the moment was to call her lawyer and demand a restrain order, so Dean wouldn’t be allowed to even breathe anywhere near her or her kids.  She didn’t want her boys to grow up to be just like their father.  
  
She got out of her car, opened the door to her house just to see her sister sitting comfortably on her sofa, watching The Bachelorette.  
  
“Really, Annie?  Don’t you have a home to go to?  I told you to ask me if you could take the spare key I keep in the office. It would take only a simple call.  And why are you watching The Bachelorette without me? ”  
  
  
Her sister didn’t even have the decency to look apologetic and, honestly,she should have been used to see Annie there by now.  It was Greg’s day with her niece after all.  Annie always felt lonely when her daughter wasn’t home with her.  
  
“I was bored, so I left work earlier because we didn’t have many clients today and I tried to wait for you.  I thought things with Deansie wouldn’t take too long.  And this is a rerun, so there is no new episode of The Bachelorette tonight. ”  
  
Annie stopped talking after watching Beth put her purse and car keys on the kitchen’s table and grab a bottle of wine that she left on the kitchen’s countertop last night.  Annie’s eyes nearly popped out of her head as she watched Beth drinking the wine straight from the bottle.  
  
  
“WHAT THE HELL, BETH?”  
  
The alcohol burned her throat while she tried to keep her anger on check.  She didn’t want Annie to worry about her but she was feeling really tired now that she was finally home.  Not to mention that she really needed to talk to someone about how unfair life was treating her lately.  
  
A woman could wallow in self-pity from time to time, right?    
  
She put the bottle down and walked straight to Annie’s arms as her sister left the sofa and welcomed her in her arms.  
  
“Yeah, What the hell indeed, Annie.”  
  
Her sister hugged her tighter, patting her hair awkwardly, while trying to understand what happened to Beth in the last hours since she left work to talk to Dean.  
  
“What Deansie did, unh?  Because for you to be like this, I’m sure he fucked up somehow.  He always does that.  Did you to have a fight?  He is not gonna try to take the kids from you, right? ”  
  
  
The thought invaded Annie’s mind and the urge to go to that bastard’s house and kill him with her bare hands was uncontrollable.  First, he had almost lost her sis’ home, left her broken and on top of that, betrayed her in the worst way possible.  
  
But to her surprise, her sister laughed.  Even if it was a low, tired little thing.  
  
“No, no, it’s not that.  He may be an idiot, but he is not suicidal.  He knows I’d kill him with your help. ”  
  
Well, that was better.  Those kids were Beth’s whole life, but that still didn’t answered Annie’s question.  Taking a step back she looked at her sister’s face.  There were no tears, but she could tell something was wrong.  
  
“That is good, but I’m still in the dark here.  What happened today?  Why did you take so long there and drank expensive wine from the bottle just now? ”  
  
Beth sighed and moved to her old, comfortable sofa behind Annie.  She needed both to sit down and talk about it.  Annie followed her, getting worried by the minute.  A quiet Beth was not a good thing, as she learnt after all those the years.  
  
“Dean wanted to see me because, as you can guess, he did something he shouldn’t.  Things at work weren’t good again, then he found out that two of his employees were taking money from him and to make things worse, he spent money from his business where he shouldn’t. ”  
  
“Oh my God.  Don’t tell me he called you to ask for money?  That fuckin'”  
  
  
“No, Annie!  God, let me talk!  I don’t have it anyway.  It’s too much!  He took money from someone he shouldn’t and now they are asking for their money back!  They threatened him using me as bait.  Now he wants to hire a bodyguard to me because, according to Dean, they know who I am, where I live and they said some gross things about me.  He is worried because he doesn’t have their money so he can’t pay them yet. ”  
  
Annie’s reaction was exactly like she imagined it would be.  Her sister was up before she could even blink and went for the wine’s bottle herself.  Then she started to plan his murder with impressive details.  
  
Beth watched her sister move around her kitchen, talking about how she’d kill her ex, with a fond smile on her lips.  Annie was her little sister, and Beth usually was the one who helped her with all the mess her life turned out to be, from time to time.    
  
She had lost count of the timesAnnie asked for her advice on something, or asked for help with a difficult situation.  Beth was the one who held Annie’s hands when she needed and she was happy to do it.  After their parents’ death, they had become even more close and when Sadie was born, there was no way Beth would ever turn her back on her sister.  
  
Not that Annie sometimes would be in Beth’s position as the protector in their little family.    
  
“I swear to you, Beth.  I’m gonna kill that fucking asshole.  I’m gonna cut his balls off.  No, actually, I’m gonna do better, I’m gonna smash them with a hammer then cut his penis off.  Next, it’s gonna be his tongue.  That is a great idea.  If that bastard can’t speak, he won’t talk to people he shouldn’t have and do something like this. ”  
  
Now, Beth’s laugh was a rich, loud sound that made Annie smile as well, even if she was still so angry she actually felt that killing Dean was a real possibility.  How dare he put her sister’s life in danger because he couldn’t manage his own money?  
  
“Thank you, Annie but I wouldn’t like to see my little sister behind bars because of my idiotic ex-husband.  Sadie wouldn’t like that either.  Although I get it, I wanted to kill him myself.  What he did was beyond stupid, and this is not even the end of the story. ”  
  
Annie frowned at that, watching her sister close her eyes and hug one of the brad square grey   
cushions on the sofa.  
  
“What do you mean?  There is MORE?  What could be worse than THIS? ”  
  
“He told me the police and the FBI are on the case.  He asked for Stan’s help and they found out that this man is not the regular loan shark, you know?  I didn’t ask for details, though.  I just couldn’t look at his face anymore.  He told me he found someone to do the bodyguard job or something, already.  All I want from him is a promise to keep my kids out of this. ”  
  
Leaving the wine’s bottle on the countertop, Annie ran to her sister’s side, taking the damn cushion from her arms and hugging her again.  Beth buried her face on her sister’s neck, trying to keep the tears at bay.  She was feeling frustrated, tired, betrayed yet again by the man who one day had promised to love and respect her until his dying day.  
  
She had forgiven him so many times before.  Now look at where her naivitee took her.  
  
To an impossible situation.  One she thought it happened in movies like The Bodyguard.    
  
Literally.  It was ridiculous.  
  
“Hey, Beth, don’t worry.  I’m here for you, you know it, and I hate to say this but at least Deansie is not leaving you in the dark here.  He better does something to keep you safe.  Who knows what kind of lunatics he deals with every day?  You just need to think about your kids, right?  They need their mamma to be strong and safe.  You have me and Ruby to help you go through this.  Oh my God, do you think she knows? ”  
  
That made Beth think about it for the first time that day.  It could be a possibility, yeah, but she doubts Ruby would keep her mouth shut when it came to her or Annie’s life.  She'd bet Ruby would offer her one of Stan’s guns so she’d have something to protect herself from anything.  
  
“I don’t think so.  I mean, I don’t think Stan would talk to her about it if he is part of the investigation.  Ruby wouldn’t keep this from me.  She’d want me to know so I could do something about it myself.  Right? ”  
  
Neither Annie nor Beth was completely certain of it but Annie kept her mouth shut for the time being.  It was better to call Ruby and talk to her in person.  But looking at the clock behind her, Annie saw it was too late to call their friend.  
  
“You know what we’re gonna do?  We’re gonna take a shower, then we’ll wear something nice and cosy to sleep and we’ll open that chocolate bar you bought last week and eat it while watching Mean Girls.  What do you think? ”  
  
Beth nodded but then looked confused at her  
  
“What kind of movie is Mean Girls?”  
  
Annie tried but couldn’t stop rolling her eyes hard at that outrageous question.  
  
“Girl, you need to be educated on pop culture and good iconic movies ASAP. C’mon, we still have to work tomorrow. ”

* * *

 

 

“ Gentlemen, like I said on the phone, we’ll need to be more careful from now on. I’m shutting down some of our facilities if, for a few days, maybe weeks. I really don’t know, but I wanna you to keep your eyes open. Cops are gonna sniff around like mad dogs for some time.  ”  
  
A group of ten men looked at him with different looks on their faces, going from worrying to skeptical while they were sitting around an old, marble table in one of Boomer’s warehouses around Detroit.  
  
They were all on the of the chain.  Working neatly and with discretion, each one of them had earned Boomer’s respect but not his trust yet.  You could never trust anyone one hundred percent when dealing with money and drugs.  
  
Reynolds, a tall, bald man in his forties, was bold enough to ask him the question all of them had in their minds.  
  
“Why, Leslie?  Business is running smoothly and quietly.  Money and drugs keep coming like its fucking christmas for us.  What is the problem? ”  
  
Some of the men looked back at Leslie, waiting for the answer.    


  
Leslie just straightened his posture and looked right back at the man, with a sardonic smile on his lips, while he placed his gun on the table, playing idly with it.

  
“Look, Reynalds, when I tell you that I’m gonna do something, I expect you to do just as I say. However, you’re right, you guys are doing a great job for now ,so I’m gonna be honest, yeah? Shit happens in this line of work sometimes and now its one of these times. We need to be careful from now on, because we have the FBI sniffing around my business.”  
  
Raised voices and murmurs soon filled the place and Leslie knew he needed to keep those idiots on line or one of them could freak out and risk everything. He had to show them that he could handle the situation.  
  
“Hey, hey, listen to me. Do as I say and we’ll be back at business soon enough. We’re gonna cease some of our operations for the time being. Keep your eyes open because cops are gonna be a pain in the ass. Someone here goes out of line, I will be the only thing you’re gonna need to worry about. Am I clear? You all do as I say and nothing bad is gonna happen.”  
  
They all nodded, some with fear and tension clear on their faces,  others with determination and loyalty.  
  
This mess with Boland would be good to help him know who was really by his side, at least. He had bigger plans for the future, and he may have miscalculated some of his steps, but his mistakes would end now.  
  
Funny, how life worked.   
  
Smiling at them, he proceeded to take the first step to deal with Boland and his big, dumb mouth.  
  
“I’ll need a volunteer to deal with a unfortunate client thought. Is anyone interested?”  
  
He’d need a little help with that. Boland wasn’t a new client after all. Nope, He had asked for money before and for a few favors in the past.  
  
Suddenly, a memory of his first time seeing the former Mrs. Boland in one of the times he had to visit Mr. Car man in one of their deals, came into his mind. Oh, this whole thing had a good side after all.  
  
He could always get a taste of that woman.  


_Definitely._

 

* * *

 

 

Morning came too fast to the Mark’s sisters. They both felt the effect of the wine from last night and took longer to wake up and dress for the day.  
  
They had a fast breakfast and drove to work, each on their own vehicle.  Annie was happy that she had left a few clothes at Beth’s over the years because as the receptionist and Beth’s secretary, she must dress perfectly and be on her best behavior while dealing with stressed or snobby clients.  
  
Beth was the brain of “Secret shoppers”, dealing with things in a way that helped them to meet their clients expectations and supervising all the process of secret shopping with their employees.  They have more than forty now since they started to work with it, one year ago.  
  
Ruby was responsible for managing the money and human resources.    
  
She was dressed in a black long sleeved dress, with a plunging neckline, made of delicate silk that hugged her body at the proper places and covered her knees.  Purple pumps combined with a purple large belt adorning her waist, the colors matching her lipstick and eye shadow, completed her look for the day.    
  
Yeah, dark colors to go with a rainy day and her sour mood.  
  
Beth didn’t eat much when they went down for breakfast.  The kids plus the dog would be back in three days and her sister didn’t know what she’d say to them.  She told Beth to not lie to her children because despite their young age, according to Annie’s own experience with her kid, children weren’t blind or stupid.  They knew when something wasn’t good at home.  
  
Of course Beth being the mother hen, she was, said that she wouldn’t say anything to the kids.  
  
“Not now Annie.  Not before I know exactly what is gonna happen with this whole investigation going on.  I need to talk to Dean about our kids’ safety, if there is a risk f them getting hurt.  Thank God in a few days they’re be on vacation from school.  And if I’m gonna tell them later, I need to think about how I’m gonna do that, well, Dean and I. ”  
  
Well, it’s not like her sister is wrong.  She needs to think about how she is gonna tell the kids but in Annie’s opinion, she should do that sooner rather than later.  
  
When they both arrived at work, Ruby’s car was already parked in front of the small building where their business was located.  They had sent a message to Ruby before they went to sleep, telling her to be at work one hour earlier because they had something very important to talk about.  
  
  
She watched her sister leaving her own car, her long strawberry blonde hair wrapped in elegant bun on the top of her head, wearing a classic black blazer jacket with four buttons, which hugged her figure in a lovely way and skinny pants, with black high pumps.  The only color on her was her soft pink lipstick and a bit of the same shade on her cheekbones.  
  
Seriously, Beth was a very beautiful woman, smart, loyal and funny.  Her sister deserved way more than she was getting.    
  
“Are you ready for a new day?”  
  
“Not so much, but we do have work to do and I’ll need to call Dean later.  Let’s go talk to Ruby, right? ”  
  
“You’re the boss, sis.”  
  
Beth took her hand in hers and together they walked inside.

 

* * *

 

  
“Hold on a minute. I need a moment to. I don’t know, think about everything you guys just told me.”  
  
Beth and Annie looked at each other, worried at how Ruby sat there in front o f them, on the other side of the small coffee table in Beth’s office. She was looking at the ceiling, murmuring something to herself, like she was trying to remember something.  
  
They all sat there in silence, Beth and Annie waiting  for Ruby to speak. Annie was getting antsy because she was never good at waiting. Beth had put her hands on Annie’s knees to stop the annoying sound of her heels hitting the wooden floor,  rhythmically.

  
It was when Ruby finally talked after a few minutes.  
  
“Bless you, Beth.  That sound was driving me crazy.  Annie, you really are worse then my kids sometimes”  
  
“Sorry, dude.  I’m terrible at this thing and you got me nervous here.  Are you angry at Stan?  He didn’t tell you anything, am I right? ”  
  
Her sister intervened again at her questions.  Like, for God’s sake, they didn’t have much time to talk about it because in thirty minutes they’d have to start working.  
  
“Annie, please, can’t you just stopping asking and wait for Ruby to talk?  Geez, we don’t have much time for this! ”  
  
“I know!  That is why I’m asking things! ”  
  
“You two, stop!  I’m not ok with the fact that Stan didn’t tell me anything about this.  I know it’s his work, but you’re my friend, Beth.  I’m sure he had his reasons but I can bet with any of you, girls, that Dean probably asked him to keep his mouth shut anyway.  Men. ”  
  
Beth nodded at that, because she thought the same last night.  
  
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.  I’m not angry at Stan, though, and I think you shouldn’t be either.  Being angry at him wouldn’t accomplish you anything. ”  
  
“Oh, Beth.  To tell you the truth I think I can be angry at him for a little bit.  Now I know why he wasn’t looking me in the eyes every time I asked him how was work.  I’m  sorry about all this shit, tho.  What are you gonna do?  You’ll really accept his offer and let him hire a bodyguard for you?  What About the kids? ”  
  
She was thinking about what she could say to Ruby but Annie was faster.  
  
“She will talk to Dean about the kids, but I think she should have a bodyguard.  It was not an offer anyway.  He said he had someone for the job, already. ”  
  
“Thank you, Annie, but I still can talk for myself.  Dean doesn’t think the kids are in any danger but I told him I wanted them safe.  He will think of something.  I’m sure.  It’s gonna be vacation time soon, maybe they can go on a trip with his mom for a week or something.  It’ll help us think about something to say to them, when they’re back.  Now, about the bodyguard thing…  I’m really not sure about it.  I mean, I don’t know anything about this guy who threatened me. ”  
  
Suddenly, both Ruby and Annie had something to say, each one of them looking at her like she had lost her mind.    
  
First, it was Ruby.  
  
“Beth, the kids won’t be on vacation for long, it’s winter break.  You need to tell them about this now or find a way to keep them safe without getting more attention on this mess.  Also, if the police and the FBI are working as one on this you need to take care of yourself! ”  
  
Then, Annie.  
  
“Don’t do that, Beth!  You don't know anything about this guy and that is a good reason to have someone ready to save your ass if something happens. ”  
  
  
Beth couldn’t win when they were working with each other against her there.  So she raised her one of her hands, asking for a moment.  
  
“Ok, ok, I know you’re both right. Right now all I want is to work and not think about this until I have to go home and call Dean to know when we’re gonna meet again to talk about all this, ok?  I promise. I ’ll even talk to him about getting protection or a better alarm system or something.”  
  
But Ruby still wasn’t happy.  She got up and crossed her arms, looking at Beth like she was a stubborn five years old kid.  
  
“I’m not kidding, Beth.  Stan is worried about this case, I know my husband.  Tell Dean to get you, not only a bodyguard and a better alarm system, but good cameras too.  Promise me. You’re gonna do that tonight. ”  
  
Annie mirrored Ruby’s posture as well.  It looked like she had no other choice.  She knew they were right, and their protectiveness warmed her heart.  They were trying to look out for her in their own messy way.  
  


She smiled at them and standing up to hug them both, as she promised.  
  
“All right, girls.  I’ll do my best.  Now, let’s go back to work, right?  We have a busy day ahead of us, right, ? ”  
  
“Woman, you have no idea.”  
  
They all started to talk their business schedule for the day.  Their jobs were the only thing that could help them keep their own bad thoughts at bay.  
  
For the time being.

 

* * *

 

When Beth got home again, it was past dinner time. She was so tired she didn’t even notice that the kitchen’s lights were on. She tried to call Dean four times on her lunch break and he didn’t pick up in any of them, her calls always going into voice mail.  
  
Annie couldn’t go home with her because she had to organize her agenda for the next day.  Some of their clients called in to cancel their meetings and wanted to reschedule for tomorrow afternoon, and she needed to find a way to make that happen with four other meetings confirmed for the same date, already.  
  
Beth’s feet were aching, her long hair was falling down her back in messy waves, her perfect bun gone with the stress of the day.  She needed a bath, her kids and her dog on her feet in her big, soft bed.  However, she’d have to wait three days more for them to be back from Dean’s house.  
  
When she closed her door and turned to walk into her kitchen, she screamed, dropping her purse on the floor.  
  
Three men who she had never seen in her life, were in her kitchen.  Two with their  strong arms crossed, leaning on her countertop like they owned the place.  
  
But it was the one sitting on her kitchen table that got her attention.  
  
Dressed all in black.  Jeans, shoes, hoodie and a shirt under it.  He had a neck tattoo and an insolent little smirk on his full lips.  There was a gun next to him on the table that he took back inside his hoodie’s pocket while he stood up and started to walk towards her, with careful little steps.  


At that moment, she felt like the world was slowing down with him, waiting for something to happen.

Time was no more a concept. It didn’t exist.  


He reminded her of a black panther moving with grace while watching his prey, waiting for the right moment to get it. To kill it.  
  
That man didn’t take his dark eyes off hers for even a second.  
  
For some odd reason, she couldn’t take hers off his either.  


He walked like he owned the place, head held high, looking at her with hooded eyes, a glint of amusement in them.

  
Beth wanted to run and escape but she found out that her feet felt too heavy.  Her heart was beating fast and her hands were cold and sweaty.    
  
She broke eye contact with the man with the neck tattoo and tried to memorize the other guys’ faces, just in case a miracle happens and someone else comes to her rescue.    
  
They were watching them with blank faces, wearing dark clothes as well and one of them had tattoos on the top of his head and face.  


_Well, if she was gonna die, she should at least know her killers’ names, right? _

  
Oh God, she should have listened to Dean.  To the girls.  Now her kids would be raised by some bimbo, with big tits and no brain.  Her girls were ruined.  


_Oh no, God, please help me here. _

  
She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her heart down and asked the guy with the neck tattoo, voice firm and calm, trying not to show them she was terrified.  
  
“Who are you?  Why are you here? ”  
  
His smirk grew into a smile while he took his hands from his hoodie’s pockets.  Beth looked down at those long fingers and noticed a small, white business card in his right hand.  
  
What the hell was going on?  
  
She accepted the card from him and when she read what was on it, Beth felt an uncontrollable urge to hit that smug smiling bastard on his stupid attractive face.    
  
“You can call me Rio, Ms. Marks. These two are my guys, they work with me.  I’m sorry to say it, but you failed the security test.  I must lecture you , as your bodyguard,  on the terrible habit of leaving spare keys under the jars of plants near your door.  It’s the easiest place you can think off to hide something so important like your house keys.  "  


She was still trying to have some resemblance of control of her feelings and could do nothing but  listen to him, a slight frown on her face, lips pursed tightly. She was trying to process his words. her mind felt disconnected from her body.  
  


Then, his deep, velvety voice reached her ears. 

 

It sent shivers down her spine, but not in a unpleasant way.

 

 _That was not good_.   _What, in god’s name, was wrong with her?_  
  


When he talked again, it was in a low, soft tone that sounded more like a caress.

  
“You don’ wanna come home one night and find strange, dangerous looking men in your kitchen. Do you, sweetheart?”

 


	4. Welcome to my cage,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter but I didn't want to make you wait any longer. I'll be out of town for a few days and probably with no wifi or internet so I decided to post something and let myself write a longer chapter for you when I have time enough for that.   
>  I'll probably write something and post it before I leave town tomorrow, tho. A little gift while u wait for another chapter on this one.  
>  Anyway, thank u for comments, kudos, and bookmarkers ;) love u!!

 

 _little lover_  
_Attempt to rearrange with you, baby_  
_Still don’t know your name, Miss Honey_  
_Let’s go up in flames, pretty lady_

 

* * *

 

She looks back at the white little card between her fingers again. Neat, clean letters in black ink that read “S&T Private Security”, looking professional and expensive.

How did Dean get money to pay for a bodyguard for her, if he owned a considerate amount of it to a criminal, already? Well, she needs to get back on her own feet here to deal with these men in her home, then, she’d make Dean hear her tomorrow because tonight she just wanted to lay down on her big, soft bed and sleep.

_First things first._

She looks back at him and notices that his posture is more alert, the smile gone, although there is a spark of something in his dark brown eyes.

 

“No, I don’t, but you’re already here and I wonder how do even you think that you can enter my house without my permission. Isn’t that illegal?”

 

He shruggers, hands still in his pockets. The men behind him just keep watching them in silence.

 

“Nah, not if you don’t break anything to enter someone’s house, or better yet, not if you’re just in someone’s house to do their job. Believe me, you should be happy, Ms. Marks. You and your ex-husband are not in a good situation here. Actually, I’m here doing a favor to Agent Turner. You probably know by now that Mr. Boland is in deep shit with a dangerous criminal?”

 

Her heart sinks. Her stomach tightens.

The bodyguard - Rio- moves closer, frowning and calling her name again.

 

_Maybe he thinks I’ll faint or something. Good lord, get a grip, Beth._

 

“I didn’t. He just told me he took money from someone and that they wanted their money back. He still doesn’t have the money, and that is why they’re threatening me. Who the hell is Agent Turner? Is he from FBI?”

 

One of the men on the background, the younger one, with messy dark hair and big blue eyes, let out a low groan, probably a frustrated one, and shook his head.

Good, now she probably looked like a dumb housewife to him, which she wasn’t. Beth was a woman tired of people think she was frail and couldn’t deal with the big bad world.

Her temper got the better of her and maybe that wasn’t proper adult behavior, but that day sucked and needed to end.

  
“Well, excuse me, but I’m a divorced woman with a business to run and four kids to take care of. I thought I’d be free of my ex-husband’s idiocy now that we’re not together anymore. So, forgive my ignorance for a minute. He didn’t tell me anything and I really don’t like the idea of being watched and followed 24/7 by people I don’t know because of some stupid ass decision he made. I didn’t agree to any of this, so can you leave my house?”

 

The guy with a tattoo on his head finally shows an emotion, although it is just his eyebrows going up his forehead and the other one with blue eyes guy blushes.

 

He blushes.  
Uh. Not something Beth sees every day, a young man blushing like that.

 

She is breathing a little bit hard, her face must be red like a tomato because that is how she looks every time she is furious or angry at something and loses her temper. Her heavy breaths make her breasts press against the tight confine of the suit jacket she is wearing, the button under them hurting her a little everytime her chest moves, while her hands are closed in tight fists.

 

“ I’m sorry for my guy’s lack of sensibility, Ms. Marks, but I guess you’re right. You need to talk to your husband. It seems you guys have some things to work on.”

 

She watches him while he nods to his guys, making them finally move towards her front door and talks to her again, his face totally closed off, making hard for her to find out what he was thinking. Then he looks at her again, after his guys leave like he was trying to figure something out.

Beth never felt so confused. Her head was a mess, thoughts running inside there, a mile per second.

What if he leaves and something happens to her? Why does Dean keep lying and hiding things from her? Why that man was being so cold and distant and yet so considerate of her wishes to be alone to cry, scream or break something like she wanted right now? She didn’t even know him, but he was there to protect her, ready to risk his life for hers.

One day you think everything is fine and good and on the next one, nothing makes sense and you feel like giving up. It was important for her to get her life on track starting now or things wouldn’t ever be the same again.

 

“Thank you. I’m sorry I yelled at your colleague. I didn’t agree to any of this and I need to talk to Dean. Sorry for making you lose your time here. I’ll keep your business card with me, Mr.?”

 

She extends her hand for him to take in a handshake but that frustrating, odd man only stares at it, then at her again. Beth feels her blood run to her face again, making it hot, and damn it, why is he not taking her hand, shaking it and saying “ goodbye, it was good to meet you, good luck?”

  
Nope. He licks his lips, the tip of his tongue hypnotizing her for a minute there until she stares back at him, trying to understand his silence. His hooded eyes observe her for a few seconds, moves around her face and then he finally speaks, the rich baritone tone of his voice sounding loud and clear in the empty house.

 

“We’ll come tomorrow to install a security system and talk‘bout your personal schedule. This is non-negotiable, sweetheart. This is an FBI case, which involves money laundering n’ illicit drugs. Agent turner is the one responsible for it and like I said, I’m here to do him a favor. Believe me, you’ll ask for protection as soon as you find out ‘bout what is really goin’ on.”

 

He finally takes her hand on his then, his long fingers feeling warm and calloused on hers, engulfing her hand completely on his, making her feel safe somehow.

Beth is having trouble breathing again. Anxiety making her jittery and nervous.

She just whispers something back because it feels like she is suffocating.

 

“I don’t want that.”

 

He’s still watching her closely but soon his hand leaves hers and he's moving, walking straight to the door. She turns around watching him leave, a combination of sadness and anger.

Beth thinks he is just gonna leave without looking at her again or say anything else, but he proves her wrong.

Right before he opens the door, he looks back, not letting anything go through a perfect impassive mask.

 

“Life ain’t fair. It’ll never be, trust me. I’ve been through hell and back. Take my advice: go to sleep, talk to your husband tomorrow and be careful. You don' wanna regret things later jus’ coz you were being stubborn n’ selfish.”

 

Her door finally closes, leaving her alone just like Beth wanted. But his words echoed around her dark, desolate house and fell hard on her heart.

 

Rio, the bodyguard, was right. Feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t help. Being afraid alone wasn’t the best way to deal with this situation and walking around blind just because she didn’t want Dean's mess to be her reality now, wouldn’t keep her or the kids safe.

  
It was time for a change.

 

* * *

 

 

  
When he got into the car, Cisco and Eddie were already inside, Eddie on the driver’s side and Cisco in the back.

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t wanna talk or think about anything. That damn favor he was doing for Turner made his blood boil. When you were forced to face your old demons, you couldn’t act like life was all good and perfect anymore.

Not to mention the fact that he was gonna protect someone whose ex-husband was probably a fuckin’ asshole n’ a compulsive liar on top of it.

Scumbags were probably cleaner than that’s man hands.

 

Dean Boland was the kind of man his mama was always ranting about.

 

Elizabeth Marks looked innocent, though. Maybe she really didn’t have any idea of whom her ex-husband was or what he did behind the curtains. However, he wouldn’t let his guard down with her.

Trust no one. That was his motto.

He wouldn’t dwell on the former Mrs. Boland.

 

“Hey, Rio, sorry for going over the line back there. But fuck man, I can’t believe that that fucker didn’t tell her anything. Is he crazy or what?”

 

He keeps his eyes on the road. Eddie was a tough guy, one of the best men he has on his team. He was loyal and resourceful but could be really dense and naive when women were on the game.

  
“Just try to keep your damn mouth shut. No comments, unless necessary. Also, it’s not coz’ she a woman that she’s innocent here, I told you to not judge anyone so fast just on looks, Eddie.”

 

His boy raises his hands like in surrender and shruggers.

 

“Sorry, man. She just seems like a regular housewife to me. Sounded pretty worried and scared.”

 

He clenched his jaw, trying to keep his annoyance at himself at bay, for remembering with such vivid detail how her beautiful blue eyes looked at him through the night. First with anger than defiance and last but not least, confusion.  
That woman was an open book or looked like one.

That glimpse of desire he saw there when she looked at his lips was certainly real.

But he wasn’t stupid enough to mix business with pleasure.

No matter how gorgeous her body was or how her eyes caught fire right in front of him when she lost her temper with Eddie while standing tall and trying to be strong. She was a little firecracker just like all redheads were.

 

“You’re not here to worry for your charge. Remember what Turner said. Ms. Marks and Mr. Boland are under investigation. If she is innocent then, we’re gonna be even more careful. They’re gonna come for her like mad dogs. It’s gonna be one hell of a week, you guys.”

 

Of course, that’s when Cisco decides to open his mouth, and not to be helpful either.

 

“Well, at least she is one hell of a woman. The way she looked when she got angry at Eddie? If I didn’t have my Lou already, I’d be on my knees asking for her hand right there.”

 

That was enough. He didn’t need his team under her spell. It was difficult enough for him to keep his focus on this case from hell. He couldn’t afford any kind of distraction. His boys couldn’t either.

 

He didn’t raise his voice. He usually doesn’t need to. Rio orders people around without any need for actual violence or raised voices. His style was more subtle, refined.  
He’d learned in his younger years as a member of a street gang that only idiots thought you could buy people's respect or win it through fear.

If you wanted to be respected, It didn't work like that.  
You should use your brain or you’d always be just a pawn in the boardgame.

 

So, he took a deep breath through his nose, letting out slowly through his mouth.

 

“Listen to me. We’re not here to have fun. We’re here to do a job. It’s work. Keep your comments on a professional level and never forget the oldest rules in this business. No feelings, no personal contact and no crossing the lines we know we shouldn’t cross. I don’t wanna hear anything about Ms. Marks’ feelings or appearance. She is nothing but another job. Did I make myself clear?”

 

Eddie just nodded, looking slightly scared.

Cisco just went with a whispered “whatever, man.”

 

_Silence, finally._

 

Good. He needed to stop his own mind from thinking about Elizabeth Marks again.

But he had a feeling that she’d follow him in his dreams.

 

Rio was not wrong.

 

On that night, he dreamed of long strawberry hair falling over his pillow, his sheets, his fingers touching its’ softness with  
reverence.

Shining red like fire burning his whole body. His bed.

He dreamed of full, red lips opening up to his, sweet and hungry, making the most beautiful, tortured sounds of pleasure. A warm, sweaty and pliant body moving slowly with his, under him. Nails marking his back, his shoulders. Long legs making him a willing prisoner.

But if there is something that will haunt him for days to come, is the look in her eyes.

Desperate, begging for something or rather, for _him_.

When he woke up, he was sweating, body hot like a furnace, his cock hard and aching.

 

“Fucking shit. Damn you, Elizabeth Marks. Damn you.”

 

He took the sheets off and went straight to the shower. The cold water helping his body to cool down, controlling his desire for a woman he couldn’t ever want. Not even in dreams.

Turning the shower off, he got ready for the day. Because like he said, life wasn’t fair and he’d have to meet her again.

 

_Great._

**Author's Note:**

> So, I have two other fics from another fandom that I have yet to finish and I really don't have time to write a new fic but Beth and Rio..BETH AND RIO AND THEIR GODDAMN CHEMISTRY WOULDN'T LEAVE ME ALONE SO HERE I AM.  
> I'm happy to contribute to this small yet awesome fandom. It looks like its' our first AU? We have a lot of fics about ep 1x10 so I wanted to do something else (And bc man, I'm still new to this fanfiction thing and I don't know if I could write something good about it.).Also, I saw someone talking about a pic of Manny in a suit and looking so great in it and this person told it'd be great to read a fic with bodyguard Rio so, lovely person, this is for you, whoever you are.  
> I'll really try to keep Rio in character here bc I love him just the way he is, even if he is mean, sarcastic and a clever bastard sometimes!  
> ps1: English is not my mother language, so if you guys see any grammar or spelling mistakes, please, TELL ME.  
> ps2: Have fun!  
> Ps3: This fic is gonna get a bit Dark in the future but I'll warn you guys when the time comes.


End file.
